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Notes from Day Three of the NFL Draft posted on 04/29/2012

And it’s all over! Following a near eight hour session in which we saw rounds four through seven of the NFL Draft, we can finally put a cap on all these selections and start whipping around the league for analysis and impact. Now, as I don’t know as much about these late-rounders as I did the first two days’ worth of players, I won’t run you through too many opinions on their front. Instead I’ll add in my two cents about the draft presentations and coverage. I’ve got OH so many opinions when it comes to that.

-In one of the more interesting moves of the day, the Washington Redskins drafted Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins early in the fourth round. A perplexing move to some of the draft analysts, this pick sent the ‘net into a mini-tizzy as everyone tried to explain the rationale behind bringing in a competent QB to give Robert Griffin III pressure at his back. Cousins has the makings of a quality back-up in the NFL without ever having held a professional clipboard. Still, he was projected by some to have legitimate starting capability. He’s not going to wow you in any of his tape, but he’s an intelligent thrower who has enough arm strength to make nearly every throw. Let’s not get anything confused though. RG3 is the quarterback of the Redskins. Washington is just taking the Philly approach to things. They’ll draft Cousins, use him as a back-up in case Griffin ever gets hurt (which is likely given his play style) and then use his reputation to get assets back in a trade at some point. I get it.

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The Chicago Bears 2012 Draft: Day Three posted on 04/28/2012

In the final day of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears continued to stockpile depth at a key defensive position after getting a jump start on days one and two. But they started the day off with a pick on the offensive side of the ball to load another bullet in offensive coordinator Mike Tice’s gun. A gun named Jay Cutler. (How did that metaphor work for everyone? I’m too tired to think it’s anything other than awesome.)

At pick 111 in round number four, GM Phil Emery selected tight end Evan Rodriguez out of Temple. At 6-2 and 244 pounds, Rodriguez was all over the field for the Owls, lining up at tight end, fullback, h-back, and receiver during his college career. In 2011, he racked up 35 receptions and two scores. He’s got 4.58 speed and is a reliable pass catcher, but as with so many tight ends these days he hasn’t excelled as an in-line blocker. He’s view by Chicago as a combo fullback and tight end who can get vertical for Jay’s downfield throws. Emery went on to state that Rodriguez has a chance to compete for a starting role, which could put incumbent fullback Tyler Clutts on the outs. Tice may like Rodriguez’s versatility too much to keep him on the bench behind Clutts.

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Notes from Day Two of the NFL Draft posted on 04/27/2012

Another exciting, fast-paced night of the NFL Draft passed Friday as rounds two and three wrapped up in under four hours. Without any more filibuster, let’s get right to some of the stories that caught my eye.

-The night after taking Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the first overall pick, the Colts come back on Friday and draft Luck’s tight end Coby Fleener. At that point, the Colts had a field stretcher in a league that has gone tight end crazy. But they didn’t stop there, taking Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen at the start of the third. Allen’s more of a complete tight end than Fleener, being able to get on the end of the line and take on defenders. Still, I thought that would be the last pick for a few rounds that the Colt spent on offense. I was wrong, as they got into the end of the third round to take Florida International receiver T.Y. Hilton, who figures to get time in the slot. So I guess that GM Ryan Grigson isn’t concerned about that shittastic defense? Looks like the new Colts are going the same direction as the old Colts. Spend the valuable assets on offense and fill in the gaps with late rounders on defense. I’m puzzled by their draft. The moves will improve their offense certainly, but they needed to get much bigger on defense in order to handle new coach Chuck Pagano’s schemes.

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The Chicago Bears 2012 Draft: Day Two posted on 04/27/2012

The Chicago Bears' 2012 Draft contiuned Friday night as rounds two and three went on the air. Let's get right into their picks!

Not wanting to wait until their slotted selection at 50 overall, the Chicago Bears traded with the St. Louis Rams at 45, giving up their fifth round pick to take South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery’s 6’3”, 230 pound frame is clearly a plus for what’s been an undersized receiving corps. He had a phenomenal 2010 campaign, but his production sloughed off in 2011. Still, he managed 45 catches and seven TD’s in that “down” year.

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Notes from Round One of the 2012 NFL Draft posted on 04/26/2012

The 2012 NFL Draft may not have been mysterious when it came to the first two picks, but the madness began before the event even started with a mega-trade! The excitement continued throughout the night and I’m here to recap as much as my fingers can manage!

-As advertised, Minnesota didn’t want to stay at number three. Oddly enough, they only moved down one spot to four, trading with Cleveland. The Browns moved up to take Alabama running back Trent Richardson ahead of whoever else might have been calling the Vikings (which was probably Tampa Bay). At first glance I was alright with the idea of ensuring you’d get your man. After seeing the trade details? The ransom was sorta insane. The Browns gave back their first, fourth, fifth, and seventh round picks for what ended up being an insurance trade. Cleveland has a lot of picks in the first few rounds (they had 13 overall), so it’s clear now they’re going for starters and not depth. I’m not crazy about the trade for a running back, but they had a glut of picks to use. For Minnesota, it was brilliant. They got three extra picks by selling a team on moving up one spot and still got their left tackle.

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